The purpose of this secondary analysis is to compare the effects of two popular weight loss regimens, time-restricted eating (TRE) and daily calorie restriction (CR), on mood and quality-of-life measures in adults with obesity. Ninety participants were randomized to one of three interventions for 12 months: 8 h TRE (eating only between 12:00 and 8:00 p.m., with no calorie counting); CR (25% energy restriction daily); or no-intervention control group. Questionnaires were administered to measure mood (Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and Profile of Mood States (POMS)) and quality of life (Rand 36-Item Short Form) at baseline and month 12. Body weight decreased in the TRE group (−4.87%, 95%CI: −7.61, −2.13) and CR group (−5.30%, 95%CI: −9.06, −1.54) versus controls, with no difference between TRE and CR. The BDI-II depression score did not change in the TRE or CR group, versus controls, by month 12. Likewise, there were no changes in any of the POMS subscales (tension, depression, anger, fatigue, anger, confusion, or vigor) or the total mood disturbance score in the TRE or CR group versus controls. As for quality of life, there were no significant changes in the SF-36 constructs of mental health, bodily pain, and general physical health in the TRE or CR group versus controls. However, there was a trend towards increased vitality in the TRE group (7.77 [95% CI: 0.15, 15.39] p = 0.05) relative to controls. There were no associations between changes in body weight, physical activity, mood, and quality of life in any group by the end of the study. These findings suggest that TRE and CR produce similar degrees of weight loss, but impact neither mood nor quality of life in adults with obesity over 12 months. Future well-powered studies will be needed to confirm these findings.

Background: In 8 females, 1 will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Although medical advances have increased the likelihood of survival, up to 90% of females will gain weight during and after treatment increasing the risk of breast cancer recurrence and obesity-related comorbidities in survivorship. Behavioral lifestyle interventions focused on diet with or without physical activity can provide breast cancer survivors nonpharmacological options to decrease weight gain and cardiometabolic risk. Method: A PubMed search was conducted to identify all behavioral lifestyle interventions focused on diet or diet combined with physical activity longer than 4 weeks of duration in breast cancer survivors that included body weight as an outcome. This review aims to summarize the effects on body weight, body composition, and cardiometabolic risk markers. Results: The review shows there is high heterogeneity in type and duration of the intervention to affect weight and cardiometabolic risk in survivorship. Calorie restriction with and without physical activity appears to promote weight loss among breast cancer survivors. However, the effects on cardiometabolic factors are less clear. Conclusions: Future studies should be powered for body weight and cardiometabolic effects. Researchers should also consider interventions that (1) are less complex, (2) recruit a more racially and ethnically diverse sample, (3) integrate resistance training, (4) implement the intervention in closer proximity to diagnosis, (5) target weight management in this population before it occurs, and (6) analyze body composition in addition to body weight measurements.

Context: Breast cancer is a significant public health challenge, with 290 000 new cases annually and significant healthcare costs. Treatment advancements have led to improvements in survival, but common adverse effects include weight gain, fatigue, nausea, and taste changes, decreasing quality of life. Objective: This review aims to assess the impact of diet and lifestyle interventions during primary treatment for breast cancer and their effects on body weight, body composition, treatment-related adverse outcomes, and patient-reported quality of life. Data Sources and Data Extraction: A search of PubMed, CINAHL, and EMBASE conducted through May 10, 2023, identified 31 publications describing 27 interventions including diet or diet plus exercise. The Cochrane Risk of Bias tool assessed the quality of publications. Data Analysis: The findings suggest that whole foods, aerobic and strength-training exercises, and intermittent fasting during treatment may improve body weight and composition, treatment-related outcomes, and quality of life. Limitations include variation in study duration, small sample sizes, and limited sociodemographic data. Conclusion: Improvements seen with increased diet quality and reduced caloric intake, with or without exercise, challenge current standard-of-care recommendations during treatment for breast cancer. While there is a need for additional research, healthcare teams can confidently promote healthy diets and exercise during primary treatment for breast cancer to manage weight and improve treatment-related side effects and quality of life. Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO registration no. 42023425613.

Purpose: Up to 75% of cancer survivors experience cognitive impairment from cancer or its treatment. No modifiable risk factor has been identified; however, a Mediterranean diet may be protective. We sought to determine if the relationship between Cognitive Performance and Cancer Survivorship depends on Mediterranean Diet adherence. Methods: We used cross-sectional data from the 2011-2012 and 2013-2014 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Mediterranean Diet adherence was defined as the aMed score which gives 1 point for intake above/below the sample-specific median for healthful/unhealthful food groups (range 0-9). Cognition was assessed via: (1) the Digit Symbol Substitution test assessing processing speed, attention, and working memory, (2) the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s disease (CERAD) assessing learning and short-term memory, and (3) the Animal Fluency test assessing executive function. Linear regression models adjusted for age, race, gender, comorbidities, smoking, total kilocalories, day and time of year of recall. Results: Among 2,450 participants, 385 had cancer. Mean age was 68.9 years (SE=0.2). The most common cancer was breast cancer (24%). The average aMed score was 3.5 (SE=0.1) in survivors versus 3.6 (SE= 0.1) in non-cancer controls. Cancer history was not associated with cognition (p>0.05). Among high aMed scores, cancer history was more negatively associated with animal fluency compared to low aMed scores ( (95% CI): -1.11 (-2.33, 0.12), p=0.08 for aMed*Cancer interaction term). Conclusions: Among high versus low aMed scores, positive cancer history was more negatively associated with cognition. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these results.